Óscar y el dragón hambriento

by Ute Krause

The dragon wakes up hungry. Since the town does not have any princesses, they end up sending a boy named Oscar to be the dragon's next meal. Children will love seeing how the clever child manages to save his hide.

Genres: Picture Books, Dragons, Fantasy, Childrens, Food, Cooking, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

Ute Krause, aufgewachsen in der Türkei, in Nigeria, auf Zypern und in Indien, verbrachte viele Jahre in den USA und lebt derzeit mit ihrer Familie in Berlin. Sie begann ein Studium der Visuellen Kommunikation in Berlin und wechselte dann als Fulbright-Stipen­diatin nach New York und schließlich an die Münchener Filmhochschule. Zu ihren vielseitigen Arbeiten gehören Kurz- und Dokumentarfilme, Cartoons für den »Stern« und Drehbücher. Seit 1985 hat sie 16 Bilderbücher veröffentlicht, bislang vier Kinderromane geschrie­ben und über 400 Bilder- und Kinderbücher illustriert. Ihre Bücher wurden weltweit in viele Sprachen übersetzt und fürs Fernsehen verfilmt. Ihre Arbeit wurde vielfach ausgezeichnet.

Reviews

[Brenda]

It's that time of year again, time to feed the dragon but alas all the princesses are gone. What to do, well feed him a child of course. The story has the feel of Hansel and Gretel with humorous similarities in how Oscar saves himself from being a meal. The illustrations are wonderful and add so much to the charm of the story.

[Paula]

When it is time to feed the village's dragon, the townspeople--being fresh out of princesses--send Oscar, a little boy with lots of culinary skills, who shows the dragon that a good meal does not need to include princesses or little boys

[Penny Ramirez]

Very cute! My new career aspiration is to become a chef for dragons. The kids will love this one, and it will be a great gift for baby Oscar!

[Valerie Perry]

This is a cute fantasy tale about about boy named Oscar who is about to be eaten by a hungry dragon. The boy wittingly talks the dragon into waiting for him be get fattened up. The boy cooks some tasty meals each day in an attempt to fatten up. The dragon gets tricked boy the boy. You will have to read the rest to find out how the dragon is tricked and if the dragon has a change of heart.

This book could be used to compare with other fantasy books. Many characteristics are predictable and yet there are a few twists. The illustrations beautifully add to the story.

[Lorellie]

In which being a good cook saves Oscar a lot of grief, which is definitely a moral I can get behind. I really enjoyed the traditional fairy tale feel of this book. The illustrations are quite nice. Impressive that the author is also the illustrator. Tot was pretty into the dragon. This all does feel sorta familiar to me, I think I may have encountered this one somewhere in my youth. It is from 2007.

[Jessica]

This was awesome! A dragon hasn't eaten in almost a year and wants a princess to eat. But the village doesn't have any princesses, so all the kids have to put their names in a hat and Oscar gets chosen to go feed himself to the dragon. I've never heard a dragon story like this before, it was funny. I liked the pictures, too.

[Viviane Elbee]

This book reminds me of older fairy tales, since it has a hungry dragon who likes to eat princesses and a clever protagonist who tries to trick the dragon into eating his delicious cooked dishes instead.

[Ava]

I loved this book when I was in elementary school but reading as an adult I was really concerned by the story. It seemed darker than I remember, for example the first page says "The great dragon was awake and very hungry. It was time to feed him a princess."

[Heather]

Really enjoyed this story. Well illustrated and cute. I would buy this book to read over and over again.

[Michelle]

Not a huge fan of the phrases "shut up" and "stupid human food" in a children's book.

[Ubalstecha]

Cute book, with some nice references to fairytales. Nothing really innovative or gripping.

[Shelby Finken]

This was a very cute book & did a fabulous job of capturing my three-year-olds attention. She kept asking, "Is he going to eat the little boy?" She was pleased as punch that he didn't.

[Kelly]

Very fun.

[Don Gubler]

Excellent. Nice story, great illustrations and a good positive message.

[Michelle Halber]

Blue tape picture book

[Lydia]

The local dragon is hungry. All the Princesses are "conveniently unavailable", so the town kids have to put their names in a hat for the mayor to draw one to be thrown to the dragon. He draws Oscar's name, but fortunately for Oscar (and the town and the dragon) he's been paying attention when his mom cooks and also has a fair grasp of Fairy Tales, so he figures out how to make everyone happy!

Though not a very surprising story, it's still very fun and Oscar's innovation and intelligence are nice to see! I was pleasantly surprised that the author gave a guy a chance to shine, as outwitting/befriending dragons seems to be mostly girls' territory (especially winning the dragon over through their stomach), so it's nice to see a guy showing off his fairy tale knowledge and culinary skills!.

Content notes: No language or sensuality issues. There is some "peril" as the dragon is totally willing to eat people (and from the princess apparel scattered about it's cave, has eaten people), but nothing graphic is shown and Oscar figures out a way to fix this.

[Melanie Hetrick]

The village dragon is starving. His usual meal is a princess, but there aren't any. All of the village kids' names are put into a hat. Oscar's name is drawn, which means he is the one who will travel up to the dragon's lair and sacrifice himself to the dragon.

Or will he? Oscar convinces the dragon that he is awful thin. He gives the dragon a shopping list to help fatten Oscar up. For quite awhile Oscar makes delicious dishes to eat. Finally the dragon takes part in Oscar's meals. As Oscar gains weight he tricks the dragon into thinking that he is still quite skinny by using a spoon when the dragon asks for a finger.

In the end, the dragon realizes that Oscar has been tricking him. Furious, he plans on eating him immediately. Oscar stops him by reminding him that if he eats him there will be no more meals and wonderful desserts for him.

Oscar is allowed to live and he and the dragon open a restaurant together that is very successful.

I like this book, but it uses the words "shut-up" and "stupid." I don't like books that use these words in kids books, no matter what the context.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

Krause, Ute Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon North/South, 2007. $8.95 PICTURE BOOK Content: G.

A dragon on the hill is hungry and the village is supposed to feed him a plump princess, but they don’t have one, so they have a lottery and Oscar loses. Oscar goes to the dragon and as the dragon is ready to put Oscar in his mouth, Oscar convinces the dragon that he needs to wait until Oscar is fatter. Oscar then has the dragon buy him groceries while he cooks gourmet meals. Eventually Oscar convinces the dragon to eat his yummy food, and then further convinces the dragon that if Oscar were to be eaten, then the dragon wouldn’t enjoy any more of his delicious meals.

This is a clever and entertaining story with adorable illustrations. There are quite a bit of words, with 2-3 full paragraphs per page layout, but the story moves along quickly and doesn’t feel long. Great read.

EL (K-3) – ESSENTIAL. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...

[Becky B]

The local dragon has reawakened and it is time for the tribute of a princess to keep him happy. The only problem is that the village no longer has any princesses. The town leaders have a drawing instead, and pick a child's name out of a hat. Oscar is the one chosen to be sent to the dragon. But Oscar isn't going to be eaten without putting up a fight, even if the dragon doesn't realize it. Oscar encourages the dragon to let him cook for himself and fatten up before the dragon eats him. Oscar has been trained in culinary arts by his mother, and eventually he wears down the dragon to trying a culinary delight instead of a human morsel.

Oscar is a very cunning hero with some great tricks up his sleeves. I love how he eventually wins over the dragon with dishes like filet mignon and ice cream. The ending of the book is quite fun and satisfactory. A great choice for prediction exercises or just some fun with dragons.

[Laura]

A charming story about a boy who outwits a dragon. A great library selection but not one I would necessarily purchase. The very hungry dragon demands an annual sacrifice and Oscar is sent to be the dragon's dinner. Oscar convinces the dragon to let him fatten up and, in the meantime, learns to be an amazing cook. Just like Hansel and Gretel, Oscar uses a stick to convince the dragon that he's not quite ready to be dinner. Fortunately, the story ends happily ever after and Oscar, after being reunited with his family, opens a delicious restaurant. The illustrations are amusing and compliment the text. The very last page of the book includes a small drawing that may not be appropriate for the school audience: the bathroom signs show a male dragon standing and a female dragon sitting on a toilet.

[Candice]

This is not for the very young, as it is a bit long for tiny ones' attention spans, and parts may be a bit scary. But for children who are already familiar with some fairy tales, this is a winner! The town has run out of princesses to feed the dragon, and Oscar's name is drawn to be its next meal. But the hungry dragon has never dealt with someone as clever as Oscar! Since Oscar is a rather small child, he suggests that the dragon wait to eat him and in the meantime he will cook some meals to fatten himself up. The dragon likes this idea and, shopping list in hand, goes to purchase the items Oscar needs to make his dinner. It all smells so good, but everyone knows that dragons don't eat people food - they eat people! Oscar's cooking gets better and better, and the dragon gets hungrier and hungrier... A great tale with engaging and amusing illustrations.

[Msjennifers Corner]

The town is out of princess so they send a child (Oscar) to be eaten by the near by dragon. Oscar, not one to go down easily tricks the dragon by having him agree Oscar needs to be fattened up. Oscar gives the dragon a shopping list every day and cooks gourmet meals. The dragon finally so hungry starts eating what Oscar has made.

The two eventually become friendly after a little tiff when the dragon realizes he has been tricked. The two go down to the village for Oscars birthday. Everyone lives happily ever after with Oscar feeding the dragon.

The only problem I had with this story was the lottery in the beginning to send a child up to be eaten. Had they been choosing from the whole village including the adults it would have been less traumatic.

A very good story with good illustrations.

[Cathy]

When the town runs out of princesses to feed the hungry dragon, Oscar's name is drawn as the dragons next meal. Upon meeting, Oscar convinces the dragon that he'd be tastier if he could make some delicious food for fattening up.
In the end, Oscar and the dragon come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Funny - good pictures -

My Lucky Day would be funny to read with this book. Clever pig tricks animals into fattening him up before eating him. He never gets eaten.

[Sammie Jo]

This is a funny story, sort of like hansel and gretel plot. The dragon takes the boy to eat, the boy is able to make food for the dragon until the dragon likes the food so much that he decides not to eat the boy. Good for predicting or inferring, because the ending is not what is expected, the boy and his village all end up being friends with the dragon. Has good pictures and would make a good read aloud.

[Susan]

can learning how to cook save your life? well, just maybe. It can also land you a very nice wife. That part isn't in the book but is pretty much how the husband wooed me - cooking his way through a James Beard cookbook. Think I fell for him somewhere along the beef stroganoff....but I digress..., a lovely and lively book and I like how the boy is smart and a good cook.

[Thuy]

I liked reading it to my 2.5 toddler. her attention span for the "wordiness" of it, was not long enough. she went to go find her flash cards instead. but I kept reading. I don't think she understood it fully. I had to AdLib in more details to get her to understand it in 2.5 year old terms. maybe I'll check it out again from the library when she's older

[Mikyla Meyer]

It’s feeding time! But there were no princesses to be found. Instead the village sends Oscar, who’s Mother has taught him a thing or two about dragons and a thing or two about cooking. Can Oscar keep himself safe from the hungry dragon?
This text heavy picture book is excellent for older children, with amusing characters and illustrations.

[Tricia]

What a wonderful and engaging fairy tale about Oscar, who is captured by a dragon because his usual fare of princess was unavailable. In line with Hansel and Gretel, Oscar is kept in a cage to "fatten up". Delightful story with a super fun ending that we all enjoyed.

[Teresa]

Oscar was going to be the dragon's next meal but he was able to trick him not to eat him. Oscar cooked for the dragon and it kept him from being eaten. In the end the dragon and Oscar became friends. Cute story to read aloud.

[Christiane]

The dragon is very hungry and the village is all out of princesses, so unlucky Oscar is chosen to be the next meal. However, Oscar is clever, talented, and has paid attention to his fairy tales...so the ending is not quite what you'd expect!